Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Is it Just Me?

Yesterday evening Mr. Lime came home and popped a DVD into the machine to watch while he graded papers. He got 5 minutes into the movie 'Parenthood' and turned it off in disgust after Steve Martin caressed his wife's breast through clothing and in the next scene a teenage girl's boyfriend popped out from under her bed wearing only his undies. He exclaimed, 'What is this crap?' He then proceeded to turn the channel to watch CSI reruns over the dinner hour. I asked him how a man touching his wife's fully clothed breast in the context of a happy marriage, and a teenage boy in underwear was more offensive than the rotting corpses and some of the violent perversions shown in CSI. Mr. Lime looked at me like I had three heads.

So, dear readers, what sorts of 'entertainment' would you turn off in disgust? And no, I am not just looking for you to take my side so I can win an argument. It's just food for thought.

Well we have only three channels, one is PBS, the other two suck.I cannot watch death, killing, blood, gore, violence, murder, gross icky things like someone getting their hand chopped off in an African movie ....I cannot watch surgery or real life car accident stuff, or even a kid falling off his bicycle and then showing the wound.I cannot watch films like that one where Jodi Foster loses her kid on a plane...why would any parent put themselves through that torture?Or, that one where Will Smith is homeless and has a child ....no no I will never watch it, the previews made me cry.I cant watch stuff where animals get hurt unless its totally faked out and its light, for example...just a cowboy taking a spill offa horse, and they put that disclaimer at the end that no animals were harmed bla bla...

Although I am an avid fan of horror movies (one's depicting obviously fake situations), I think that some of the situations as Mr Lime turned off are inappropriate to show our children. Once they are grown, it can be a different matter. I too hate the true to life abuse that is shown on shows like Cops (I really get ticked off when I see some of the things they do), movies based on actually events, etc. Imagination and acting doesn't hurt, but real abuse is a different matter.Example: I watched an episode of Cops, and they entered a little Asian man's home (entered his closed door porch, which the door inside was open) which struck me as an illegal move, then when he comes to the porch eating his noodles, they accuse him of a crime a couple of minutes before. The next thing you know the guy is on the ground being tasered. He didn't fight with them, he was in his own home eating, but they deemed it necessary to taser a guy so much smaller than either of them. It makes me sick to watch that shi_.

Hmmm... I swear I left a comment earlier... blogger must hat me for defecting. :)

The comment was...I think the situation is reflected in the MPAA rating system. Movies with high body counts can still get a PG13 but the moment there is sex or nudity... boom, it gets an R. One has to wonder about the cultural aesthetic sometimes.

OH I am SO with YOU on this one! I can't stomach gruesome. I watched only part of a CSI once and changed it... Started watching Heroes, got gorey, changed it... I liked Parenthood because I like Steve Martin... I'm a romantic comedy gal all the way!

I absolutely loathe, abhor and despise any and all of the Reality Shows -including American Idol and the likes of that! I tend to walk out of the room when my sil gets his hands on the remote cause I know the first thing on his list is some channel on cable all about car repairs or some thing like that which bores the living daylights out of me.

I really don't know. Anything that is done for the sake of shock, to trying to get you to say "oh my" and not done for the sake of being true to the moment or the subject matter.

I have not seen many things that have shocked me (thank goodness) but oh man, reality shows make me sick -- the extend, dramatic pauses, the fatty editing, the unreal reaction shots. Definately NOT a husband caressing his wife through her clothes, for goodness sake.

PS...I think Parenthood would bore most kids...but I don't see anything wrong with kids of a certain age seeing the movie.

I am not sure which age that would be...but again there is a dildo in the movie briefly. So, it depends on the communication between you and your kids. Frankly, I think movies can open up good conversations with preteens about issues that kids may have questions about.

Anything depcting a child or aniaml in pain or suffering... I can't stomach it. That goes for books too. Sometimes, I have to turn Animal Planet off because it makes me start bawling.

I love the movie Parenthood. It ranks as one of my all time favorites. It covers everything.... dysfuntional families, teen sex, drugs, gambling, race issues, divorce etc.... Our family, including young teens, have had some pretty lively discussions in regards to this movie. It opens alot of doors for questions.

m, yes, i saw the movie all the way through without mr. lime one evening and i loved it. thought it was touching and funny...including the dildo scene. i've discussed condoms and their usage at the dinner table with my kids, so i'd have no problem with them seeing this movie.

sheri, my thoughts exactly, i thought if we'd been able to all watch it together it might have stimulated some really good discussion

signgurl, well mr. lime saw a dishwasher full of dildos on CSI and seemed nto too traumatized. i guess in this movie he'd have gone into shock though. how about the bit where the wife gives him head inthe car too. bwahahaha. can't wait to see the HNT

I find it quite interesting how different tv is from one culture to the next. It's interesting because in a single evening of watching another culture's tv program, you learn so much about the assumptions and "ideals" of that country, and your own as well, just from noticing the differences.

Sex I can handle, no problem, but anything with gratuitous violence turns me off. I have been known to watch Heros, which is pretty disgusting, but I have to find out what happens...shh, don't tell anyone. CSI is banned at my house, I would much rather watch my collection of Friends for the hundreth time.

You know it is weird, I can watch almost anything and be OK with it. I think I treat movies a lot like real life. Public displays of affection can turn me off. Private is fine. I think the boyfriend in only undies possibly hit to close to home for Mr Lime.

For me I stay away from the Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc. type of movies. Those that seem to be devil oriented too I also will switch off. Reality TV and I do not see eye to eye. Cops, it is a race as to how fast I can switch the channel on that show. If you are harming kids or animals in some way and it seems real than I am out of there. I am sure their are other things too but I can not think of it right off. Basically if I would not like it in real life, I will not like it in a movie.

Oh I saw a movie last night where the US was torturing a person they suspected was aiding a terrorist. They forcibly sent the person to another country and the dirty deed was done there. Now if it were not for the fact that I think this is all to real I would have considered leaving that movie. The torture was something I did not need to see but for me it all was so eye opening.